As part of the initiative’s expansion, TSA Pre✓™ will be rolling out at the following 28 airport locations this year:

- Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)

- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

- Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

- Denver International Airport (DEN)

- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)

- Honolulu International Airport (HNL)

- Indianapolis International Airport (IND)

- LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

- Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)

- Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)

- Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)

- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

- O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

- Orlando International Airport (MCO)

- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)

- Portland International Airport (PDX)

- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

- Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

- Tampa International Airport (TPA)

- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)

- Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Considering all the great feedback we’ve received, I imagine this will be very welcome news to many of the frequent flyers out there, including the 336,000 passengers who have already been screened through a TSA Pre✓™ lane. TSA will continue expanding TSA Pre✓™ to additional airlines and airports once they’re ready to go.

If you want to learn how to sign up for TSA Pre✓™, click here. Eligible participants include certain frequent flyers from participating airlines as well as members of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trusted Traveler programs (Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS) who are U.S. citizens and fly on a participating airline. Individuals interested in participating in the pilot can apply via Global Entry at http://www.globalentry.gov/.

For those who might not be familiar with TSA Pre✓™, there’s lots of info on our blog and on TSA.gov. This screening concept enhances security by enabling TSA to focus its efforts on passengers the agency knows less about while providing expedited screening for travelers who volunteer information about themselves prior to flying.

If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening following the TSA Pre✓™ vetting process, information will be embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass. TSA will read the barcode at the security checkpoint and then may refer the passenger to a TSA Pre✓™ lane, where they will undergo expedited screening, which could include no longer removing the following items:

Shoes

3-1-1 compliant bag from carry-on

Laptop from bag

Light outerwear/jacket

Belt

TSA will always incorporate random and unpredictable security measures throughout the airport and no individual will be guaranteed expedited screening.

TSA Pre✓™ will join other elements of risk-based security currently under way including:

Testing expedited screening for known airline crewmembers to verify their identity

All of these initiatives are designed to improve our security approach while enhancing the passenger’s security experience. We thank U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the airlines, and passengers for their partnership as we work to provide the most effective transportation security in the most efficient way.

If you’d like to comment on an unrelated topic you can do so in ourOff Topic Comments post. You can also view our blog postarchives orsearch our blog to find a related topic to comment in. If you have a travel related issue or question that needs an immediate answer, you can contact a Customer Support Manager at the airport you traveled, or will be traveling through by usingTalk to TSA.

Now that the Senate has passed the FAA bill which overrides TSA's cap on airport security services replacement, do you expect any impact on this program as airports choose safer, less expensive, more professional, replacement of TSA's function?

Though I applaud the fact that there is an option not to be treated like a terrorist when I fly, I find it a bit cumbersome to submit to yet another privacy invasion in order to be treated like a citizen of this country. And, I have to pay for the privilege of being treated like a citizen?

Sandra said... [[99.9% of flyers should be seen as a non-threat to an aircraft, not an elite few.]]

Assuming that your assumption is accurate about the 99.9%, that still leaves 1,800 passengers every day that fly who intend harm to our nation’s commercial aviation. TSA know that 99.9% of air travelers are not a threat to commercial aviation Sandra. That’s the easy part. Determining which traveler is that 0.1% that actually IS a threat is the hard part. So far no one has come up with an even half decent way to determine who falls into that category that we don’t already know about. They don’t wear signs, or have blinking tattoo’s on their foreheads advising that they intend to harm an aircraft. In fact, they most likely look just like you, or your neighbor, or the principal of your children’s school. Could be the guy behind the counter at the corner gas station, or the night stocker at your local Walmart.

At least the folks who use the Pre-Check program have had significant background checks done and TSA knows more about them than the average passenger. They are not “elite” as you suggest, just people who want to go somewhere with a minimum of fuss and are willing to undergo a little inconvenience in advance to have less in the future.

Sandra, that IS an interesting question. It will probably depend on how they measure it. However, if they measure it based not on an individual flyer but on the number of "times" that flyers go through the gate then it will probably be a bit higher than you imagine. After all, frequent flyers (business flyers and wealth jetsetters) fly more frequently so their percentage numbers will quickly add up. However, if it's based on actual individuals who fly at any given time the number will probably be low. Personally, I will never qualify for this program because I neither fly for business nor am I wealthy. I'm just the couple of times per year vacation traveler. Jim Huggins asked when people like us will be part of the program. Probably....never.

So, just because one has paid for and been "screened" ahead of time, TSA says they are not a threat like the rest of us are.

First, this is wrong on so many levels and unfair. Second, TSA agents have been "screened" for their jobs as well, and that led to porn, mollesters, and thieves becoming part of TSA. I can't wait to see what kind of passenger this program produces.......

You know, only in America is a murderer who commited his/her crime in front of 20 people, considered guilty untill proven innocent, but walk into an airport and you're a terrorist untill proven otherwise, unless you pay for the privildge to be automatically "safe".

"Assuming that your assumption is accurate about the 99.9%, that still leaves 1,800 passengers every day that fly who intend harm to our nation’s commercial aviation."

The number of people who fly on any given day "who intend harm to our nation’s commercial aviation" is much, much, much closer to 0 than to 1,800. If it actually WERE 1,800, that's...1800 * 10 * 365 = 6,570,000 times TSA has failed to detect a terrorist! In which case, you're the most incompetent pack of people ever assembled.

"TSORon said....They are not “elite” as you suggest, just people who want to go somewhere with a minimum of fuss and are willing to undergo a little inconvenience in advance to have less in the future."

Actually these individuals can very much be considered the "elite" as stated on your own website. I also find it interesting that if you are approved you will not know this until and if you are told to go through the expedited screening line, giving the TSA the continued ability to make up the rules as they go.

TSORon said, "At least the folks who use the Pre-Check program have had significant background checks done and TSA knows more about them than the average passenger. They are not “elite” as you suggest, just people who want to go somewhere with a minimum of fuss and are willing to undergo a little inconvenience in advance to have less in the future."

Ron, so, tell me, what's the difference between TSA's Pre, and having a US Passport? It takes weeks or months to get a passport, because the State Department jumps through all kinds of hoops to be sure you're who you say you are before issuing a passport. Why duplicate the effort, if a person already has a valid passport? Or if a person already has a NEXUS card which (based on comments here) no TSO seems to recognize? And what good is it if one is still at the whim of whichever TSO happens to be on duty that day?

"Assuming that your assumption is accurate about the 99.9%, that still leaves 1,800 passengers every day that fly who intend harm to our nation’s commercial aviation."

Come on, Ron. Given that the TSA misses approximately 70% of contraband and, presumably, other threats, that would mean that 1260 people intending harm. The 99.9% number is VERY low.

"TSA know that 99.9% of air travelers are not a threat to commercial aviation Sandra."

Does it, Ron? I can give you a bit of insight. US Senator's have had background checks. There are millions of DoD and IC cleared people who have had their background investigated significantly more than, say, any TSO.

"That’s the easy part. Determining which traveler is that 0.1% that actually IS a threat is the hard part. So far no one has come up with an even half decent way to determine who falls into that category that we don’t already know about."

Nonsense. Once again trotting out the "we do it as well as it can be done" justification of the wasteful, immoral and unconstitutional activities of the TSA.

" They don’t wear signs, or have blinking tattoo’s on their foreheads advising that they intend to harm an aircraft."

Sadly, it would take such signs for our TSA workforce to recognize the threat.

"{In fact, they most likely look just like you, or your neighbor, o the principal of your children’s school."

Could you support this contention? Have school principals - whose backgrounds have been investigate, btw - been implicated in threats to civil aviation?

"Could be the guy behind the counter at the corner gas station, or the night stocker at your local Walmart. "

Could be a TSO. How can we possibly trust the TSA when a TSO could be the threat?

"At least the folks who use the Pre-Check program have had significant background checks done and TSA knows more about them than the average passenger."

Ridiculous. If you consider the background checks performed under Pre-Check, I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you. This is just another indication that Ron, at least, knows NOTHING of background checks or security.

"They are not “elite” as you suggest, just people who want to go somewhere with a minimum of fuss and are willing to undergo a little inconvenience in advance to have less in the future."

Soon, passengers will be presumed to have the right to travel with minimal government interference. After the next election, the TSA will be reformed to be a professional, efficient and secure organization.

Now that the Senate has passed the FAA bill which overrides TSA's cap on airport security services replacement, do you expect any impact on this program as airports choose safer, less expensive, more professional, replacement of TSA's function?

"Testing expedited screening for known airline crewmembers to verify their ide[n]tity"

Probably much more effective than doing the same for unknown airline crewmembers.

"Testing the expanded use of behavior detection techniques"

Since the original attempt used untrained people ("go out and keep an eye on people!"), that was shown in Nature to be ineffective, let's expand it! We have to have something to do with all the TSOs displaced by privatization.

Have you considered expanding this to include all the Federal employees who have HSPD12 identification credentials? We've already had a full background investigation, finger prints, retina scan, etc. It's all on our secure id cards, along with our picture and agency affilliation. Many of us travel regularly, seems this would be a win-win for the government, letting its employees see some benefit of their recuring security screening translating into speed and convenience at the airport.

(First, as a side note, I think we would both agree that the actual number is much less than 0.1% though. To date, it has been roughly 20 people out of [how many?] millions of people who have flown.)

As you note, it "[c]ould be the guy behind the counter at the corner gas station...". Well then shouldn't we go and search him to make sure that he intends no harm to anyone. I mean why stop at the airport? If he really intends to do harm, shouldn't we go after him? If you say no we shouldn't - or it's different because it's not an airport. Why? Why is a person getting on a plane deserving of this "extra protection", but the person who drives is forced to face this neer-do-well when he fills up his car during his travels? Better yet, why is the person flying forced to face him at the gas station on his way to get on the plane?

TSA as an organization is not truly interested in security. As others have mentioned, it is jobs-theatre put on to make people who want some 'nanny-state' to tell them it's safe. It's interesting that the people who defend TSA as the be all / end all of security can even venture out of their house to make it to the airport. I guess they don't think about all those 'nasties' that they have to be around on that part of the trip.

As well, most of the searches currently conducted by TSA are not reasonable searches. They do not align with the Aukai decision to be as minimally invasive as possible. (My disagreements with SCOTUS' "administrative search" carve out aside.) Most are, in effect, drag-net 4th amendment violating searches for anything illegal whether it has to do with TSA's mission of keeping weapons, explosives, or incendiaries off the plane. It has been shown in the past that even perfectly legal items and activities were to be questioned by the TSA. Not to mention the magical trash cans TSA buys that immediately renders "voluntarily surrendered" items completely inert - whether it was 'voluntarily surrendered' or not.

I ask you to help me understand how someone can defend this tyranny that is invading our country because, based on your response above to Sandra, I can see no other final result.

How can you not see the fallacies in your response about the "0.1%" that may intend to harm others as justification to deprive the other "99.9%" of their personal rights and liberties? Not to mention the logical authoritarian result of such policies and how quickly it can (and will) be used to justify the continued loss of freedoms and rights of everyone. After all, TSA is already shown up at train stations, bus stations, and subway stations. They have passed out flyers to truckers at a weigh station - although I do wonder if the xray truck was there too. They are also attempting to expand to different venues "by request".

I am not advocating for no security - I'm advocating for reasonable security. And to answer the next question - put it back in the hands of the airlines, the market will quickly determine what is and is not reasonable.

If you only fly a couple times each year, honestly, how much of an inconvenience is it for you to take off your shoes, place all other items in a bin and walk through a metal detector and be on your way? It's a lot less than those that fly daily, weekly or monthly and are looking for a way to speed up the process and are willing to pay. No different than other aspects of society... (IE - You pay for pizza delivery so you don't have to leave your house - same thing convenience.)

"Hmm..as a security screener, I would never clear a bag that has a laptop in it...but eh if that is what the bosses want!"

That's the spirit. You feel it's important to uphold dated and useless procedures like removing laptops from bags but you're willing to ignore that because the paycheck is the point of you being there.

Anonymous said... If you only fly a couple times each year, honestly, how much of an inconvenience is it for you to take off your shoes, place all other items in a bin and walk through a metal detector and be on your way? It's a lot less than those that fly daily, weekly or monthly and are looking for a way to speed up the process and are willing to pay. No different than other aspects of society... (IE - You pay for pizza delivery so you don't have to leave your house - same thing convenience.)

February 10, 2012 8:21 PM,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Being willing to pay for different screening completely discredits the security requirements that TSA claims is so necessary.

Apparently in TSA's Bizarro World having some extra cash negates full screening.

Either the security steps are valid and needed are just a bunch of show.

Which is it TSA?...............................

All postings submitted to the TSA Blog, a government propaganda activity, are done so in full acknowledgement that "Free Speech is a Right" and cannot be infringe upon as detailed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and upheld by numerous Supreme Court decisions.Any violation of this right by TSA, an agency of the United States, and its employees is a willful Civil Rights violation and actionable.

I would hate to see you people at the doctor’s office. Don't touch that! No you can't lift my pants leg up. Why do you have to do that or this....? Whine Whine Whine... sound like kids!! You should be discussing how to find fixes or easier ways to help do things. Complaining never gets you anywhere.

Since I'm assuming that no one will list "terrorist" as a profession on their application, you are just making assumptions about risk based on where a person comes from and what they do for a living. That's profiling.

The TSA keeps telling us that profiling doesn't work and they don't use it. Make up your minds.

Anonymous said... I would hate to see you people at the doctor’s office. Don't touch that! No you can't lift my pants leg up. Why do you have to do that or this....? Whine Whine Whine... sound like kids!! You should be discussing how to find fixes or easier ways to help do things. Complaining never gets you anywhere.

Roger McQuinn...This is from the press release regarding Precheck Pilot in Miami: Eligible participants include certain frequent flyers from American Airlines and Delta Air Lines as well as members of the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS, who are U.S. citizens and are flying on participating airlines.

If you only fly a couple times each year, honestly, how much of an inconvenience is it for you to take off your shoes, place all other items in a bin and walk through a metal detector and be on your way?

Thanks for worrying, but it's really none of your business what I consider an inconvenience.

One thing g to remember when you try and use this....Use the smart phone scannable boarding pass. This works as the only true means for approval when at the TSA check point. Many airline boarding passes don't yet have the ability to be scanned so you aren't granted access. A TSA agent gave me this info months ago and since, it works every time.I love the program and have enrolled my family as well.

Lambert St. Louis airport has TSA PreCheck w/ US Airways & w/ American Airlines. I would be very interested to have TSA PreCheck begin service at Lambert St. Louis airport w/ Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Anyone know how to request or vote for the inclusion of Delta or the addition of Southwest to the TSA PreCheck program?